Month: October 2021

Shamrocket Earns First Stakes Victory In Point Of Entry

Donegal Racing's graded stakes placed Shamrocket secured his first career stakes win in Sunday's third running of the $100,000 Point of Entry, a 12-furlong Widener turf test for 3-years-old and up, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, the 4-year-old Tonalist bay was making his 20th career start, having hit the board in five previous stakes events, including a third in the Grade 2 Bowling Green on July 31 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

A closing third last-out in a nine-furlong optional-claiming tilt over good Belmont turf on September 25, Pletcher scratched Shamrocket from a nine-furlong allowance event here on Thursday.

“When we looked at it, we felt like we'd be in a similar situation where we'd be second choice in either spot,” Pletcher said. “We felt a little more confident going a mile-and-a-half than a mile-and-an-eighth.”

With Hall of Famer Javier Castellano up, Shamrocket settled in fourth position as 7-5 mutuel favorite Tide of the Sea led the five-horse field through splits of :23.62, :48.30, and 1:13.71 over the firm turf under pressure from Beacon Hill and Hall of Fame rider John Velazquez.

Shamrocket edged closer to the field down the backstretch with Bluegrass Parkway following his lead as the pacesetters continued their battle into the final turn. Castellano angled Shamrocket three-wide out of the final turn as Tide of the Sea gave way, and outdueled a game-and-determined Beacon Hill to secure the half-length win in a final time of 2:26.70.

Bluegrass Parkway, Tide of the Sea, and Mo Gotcha rounded out the order of finish. Experienced and main-track-only entrant Moretti were scratched.

Pletcher said he was pleased to see Shamrocket, a $130,000 purchase at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, break through at stakes level.

“By looking at his PPs, you can tell he's a super-consistent horse,” Pletcher said. “He just hasn't had as many wins as second and thirds, but he always shows up and runs hard every time. He benefitted from a good trip today with an honest pace to run at and everything fell into place, so I'm happy for him.”

Pletcher said Shamrocket will now target the 11-furlong $200,000 Grade 2 Red Smith on November 20 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Castellano had previously guided Shamrocket to a rallying allowance win traveling 10 furlongs in June as well as a game fourth in the 11-furlong Grade 1 Man o' War in May, both at Belmont.

The veteran rider said the talented bay appreciated the stretch out in distance.

“He never gets tired. He keeps running and finished really well,” Castellano said. “He hooked up with two good horses at the top of the stretch and kept carrying himself. I didn't think I would run out of horse.”

Bred in Florida by Rustlewood Farm, Shamrocket banked $55,000 in victory while improving his record to 20-4-6-7. Sent to post as the 9-5 second choice, Shamrocket paid $5.90 for a $2 win ticket.

Live racing returns Thursday at Belmont Park with a nine-race card. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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Hello Beautiful “Awesome” After Historic Win In Maryland Million Distaff

Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables, and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful was doing “awesome” on Sunday following her history-making victory in the $100,000 Maryland Million Distaff at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The 4-year-old filly dispatched her six rivals by 3 ½ lengths to become just the seventh horse to win three Maryland Million races since its inception in 1986, joining Ben's Cat, Countus In, Docent, Eighttofasttocatch, Mz. Zill Bear, and Hall of Fame mare Safely Kept.

“She looks awesome this morning,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “[She's] pleased with herself.

“She's been good to us. She kind of has this cocky attitude about her,” she added. “When you walk into the barn, she doesn't greet you. You walk in that first stall, her bum's getting you at the door. She has an air about her. She's very straightforward to train, knock on wood.”

Hello Beautiful won the 2019 Lassie as a 2-year-old and 2020 Distaff among her eight career stakes wins. She didn't break sharply in Saturday's race but quickly inherited the lead and was left alone up front despite the presence of speedy eight-time stakes winner Street Lute, who figured to pose an early challenge.

“It sort of the same thing it always is. I feel like there's speed in the race and she's the fastest horse. If they want to go with her, go with her,” Russell said. “It's not like she jumped out of there and had the lead from the first jump. She ran a little faster probably that first part and they sat off of her.”

It was fellow stakes winner Malibu Beauty who stayed closest to Hello Beautiful, getting to within 1 ½ lengths after a half mile, before the 1-5 favorite steadily gained separation on the field and pulled away through the lane as Street Lute mounted her bid, only to get nosed at the wire for second by Malibu Beauty.

Street Lute's former Jerry Robb-trained stablemate, 11-time stakes winner Anna's Bandit who was retired in August, was honored between races prior to the Distaff, which she won in 2019, adding to the significance of Hello Beautiful's subsequent victory.

“This is special. There's been a lot of good fillies. You saw Anna's Bandit walk over here [yesterday]. Hello Beautiful, she's won three Maryland Millions, she's won open races. It's that graded race that's missing on her resume,” Russell said. “Unfortunately, she probably won't be able to get it because of the Lasix situation, but that's OK. She keeps doing her thing and we're having fun with her.”

All graded stakes in Maryland are contested without Lasix. Riding a three-race win streak, Hello Beautiful ran fifth in the Grade 3 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie Feb. 20 at Laurel in her most recent graded attempt.

“It's disappointing, I think, more because she's a filly that has the ability to do it. You see her numbers and you see how she runs,” Russell said. “Maybe her 3-year-old year wasn't the year to try it. She didn't have luck with shipping and all those things, but I think now, as a mature horse, you wish you had the chance.

“Maybe if she runs as a 5-year-old next year knowing that she'd be retired as a 6-year-old [we'd try again],” she added. “I'm not saying it's completely out of the question but at this stage to keep her where she is and keep her healthy and do the right thing by her, it sort of all makes sense.”

A decision has yet to be made whether Hello Beautiful returns to race in 2022. There are two upcoming spots for her in Maryland this year, the $75,000 Politely for Maryland-bred/sired horses Nov. 26 and $100,000 Willa On the Move Dec. 26, both for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting six furlongs.

“I don't know when we're going to come to that decision. We have time. There's still two potential spots this year,” Russell said. “It just depends on how things shake out. If she keeps winning, I think they'd probably rather keep her racing, but that's just me. You have a horse who's winning, and winning stakes, she can be a broodmare next year. If she stubs her toe by the end of the year, maybe we make a different decision but if she stays healthy …”

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Prendimi Gets Well-Earned Break After Maryland Million Classic Win

G. J. Stable's Prendimi emerged from his upset victory in the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., in good order and will be headed south next month to begin his annual winter vacation.

Trainer Luis Carvajal Jr. said the New Jersey-bred 6-year-old Dance With Ravens gelding returned to their base at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., following the Classic and was bright and energetic Sunday morning.

“He's good. I do play around with Twitter a little bit and I did tweet a picture of him this morning. He was very awake and I like the way he came out of the race,” Carvajal said. “First of all, he ate everything, of course. When they put him on the scale yesterday, he weighed like 1240 pounds. He's a good eater. He got here late last night and then we waited a couple hours and we fed him and he cleaned the feed tub after that, so that's a good sign.”

The 1 1/8-mile Classic was the richest of four career stakes wins for Prendimi and first away from Monmouth Park. He led from start to finish under jockey Mychel Sanchez and was tested every step of the way, including a protracted stretch duel with favored Tappin Cat, prevailing by a neck.

“You can see that when he wants to run, he's a fighter. Sometimes he has his lazy days and if he doesn't want to try, he just doesn't try,” Carvajal said. “On the morning of the race, I thought about the horse and I thought he had a good chance. Once they open the gate, plans go out the window but he did everything right and the jockey did a great job. Mychel rode him so good and he looked so energetic down the lane. It's good to see.”

It was the third straight trip to the Classic for Prendimi, who ran second in 2019 and seventh in 2020. He got the rest of the year off each time before returning the following season, and Carvajal said he will continue that blueprint this year.

“That's the plan. As long as the horse is happy and healthy, there's always the next time,” he said. “Home for me is Florida. That's where I have my wife and kids and home. Plans are already made to go back to Florida. He'll get a little bit of rest and probably run a few times there. Tampa Bay Downs is good and usually horses do good when they come back here.”

Carvajal, who galloped Prendimi's dam, Cigno d'Oro, won his first career graded stake at Laurel with Imperial Hint in the 2017 Grade 3 General George off a victory in Laurel's Fire Plug the month prior. Imperial Hint would go on to four Grade 1 victories and earn more than $2.2 million in purses.

“If I had a few more horses, I probably would have left something up. I have such good luck over there at Laurel,” he said. “Laurel has been good to me. It's probably just a matter of time [until] I keep some horses there, too.”

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Pulsate Seeks Second Stakes Win In Friday’s Oyster Bay

Marc Keller's Pulsate will stretch out in distance while taking on a loaded field for Friday's inaugural $100,000 Oyster Bay for 3-year-olds and upward going seven furlongs over the Widener turf at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by Bobby Ribaudo, the 5-year-old Speightstown chestnut arrives of a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint Invitational on October 2, where he displayed stalking tactics and finished a length behind pacesetter Arrest Me Red.

In his previous start, Pulsate captured his first stakes victory when taking the restricted Lucky Coin on September 3 going 5 ½ furlongs at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He finished second in last year's Lucky Coin, 1 ¼ lengths behind Oyster Bay rival Battle Station.

The Oyster Bay will be a third overall start going seven furlongs on grass for Pulsate, who made his stakes debut with a close second in the seven-furlong Paradise Creek in May 2019.

Pulsate has consistently raced at the beginning of each month since finishing a close second in his seasonal debut going six furlongs over the inner turf in July at Belmont.

“Last time, there wasn't much pace and Wesley's [Ward] horse went wire-to-wire. He thinks highly of that horse, so it wasn't a bad race,” Ribaudo said. “My only question here is, he's run twice at Saratoga and the races are coming close together. But he seems to be doing well.”

Ribaudo added that the Oyster Bay could be a springboard to the $150,000 Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship on November 27 at the Ozone Park, N.Y., racetrack.

“You never know if the weather will cooperate during that time of year. We'll take this one first and if the weather holds up, we'll run in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint,” Ribaudo said.

Pulsate boasts a consistent 18-4-5-2 record with his first two victories taking place on dirt in early 2019 at Aqueduct. Ribaudo said a 6-year-old campaign is in play.

“He had been knocking on the door ever since he was a 3-year-old, so it's always nice to get a stakes win,” Ribaudo said. “He's doing so well as a colt, and he's not difficult to handle at all, so I'd like to bring him back next year.”

Manny Franco has piloted Pulsate in 10-of-18 starts and will return to the irons from post 5.

Chad Brown will saddle a trio of contenders in Value Proposition, Flavius, and Emaraaty.

Klaravich Stables' Value Proposition, a 5-year-old Dansili ridgling, scored at stakes level for the first time with a last-out triumph in the Red Bank on September 4 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. The consistent five-time winner has finished in the money in all five starts this season, including a late-closing second in the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple on July 14 at Saratoga.

Value Proposition will be ridden by Luis Saez from post 11.

Juddmonte's Flavius will attempt to make amends following a fifth as the beaten favorite in the Grade 3 Mint Million in September at Kentucky Downs in Franklin, Ky. Two starts back, the son of War Front was a wire-to-wire winner of the restricted Lure on August 7 at Saratoga.

Through a record of 13-4-3-1, Flavius brags the highest bankroll in the field with $719,651 in earnings.

Hall of Famer John Velazquez will ride from post 6.

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Emaraaty will seek two consecutive victories, arriving off a 1 ½-length optional claiming score on September 3 at Saratoga over next-out winner Voodoo Zip. The 6-year-old son of Dubawi, out of Group 1 winner Zee Zee Top, won his last effort emerging off a five-month layoff.

Leaving from post 4, Emaraaty will be piloted by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano.

Trainer John Terranova will saddle Gatsas Stables' Backtohisroots, who seeks his first stakes triumph since capturing an off-the-turf edition of the Atlantic Beach in 2018 at Aqueduct. The dark bay or brown son of Mark Valeski was a close second to Pulsate in the Lucky Coin off an 11-month hiatus ahead of a fourth in the Grade 3 Belmont Turf Sprint last out.

Backtohisroots will leave from post 8 under Jose Lezcano.

Completing the field are Ballydooley [post 1, Jorge Vargas, Jr.], Battle Station [post 2, Abner Adorno], Made You Look [post 3, Eric Cancel], Buy Land and See [blinkers off from post 7, Kendrick Carmouche], Maxwell Esquire [post 9, Dylan Davis], Guildsman [post 10, Hector Diaz, Jr.], and Fauci [post 12, Junior Alvarado].

Wendell Fong and Lil Commissioner are entered for the main track only.

The Oyster Bay is carded as Race 9 on Friday's 10-race program. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

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